Bite-Sized Reviews of The November Girl, Haven, and The Magic Misfits

I’ve got three bite-sized reviews today. Two YA and a MG. My mom did the review of November Girl for me. (I plan to read it too since she really enjoyed it, but I’m swamped right now.) I hope these bite-sized reviews will be enough to feed your fiction addiction!

I am Anda, and the lake is my mother. I am the November storms that terrify sailors and sink ships. With their deaths, I keep my little island on Lake Superior alive.

Hector has come here to hide from his family until he turns eighteen. Isle Royale is shut down for the winter, and there's no one here but me. And now him.

Hector is running from the violence in his life, but violence runs through my veins. I should send him away, to keep him safe. But I'm half human, too, and Hector makes me want to listen to my foolish, half-human heart. And if I do, I can't protect him from the storms coming for us.

This is the story of Hector and Anda, an abused teenage half-Korean, half-black boy who feels he doesn’t fit in with the people around him and a mysterious girl who lives on Isle Royale year-round, even when everyone else leaves for the winter.

First, let me say I was impressed with the way the author was able to draw my attention and make me interested in the story from the very beginning. I didn’t read the blurb before I read the book, so for me the story was more of a mystery than it would have been if I ‘d read the blurb first. If you haven’t read it yet, just go in blind!

Hector is seventeen and is trying to escape his abusive uncle for the few months until he turns eighteen. He decides the best place to do that is on Isle Royale which is about to be shut down for the winter. He is determined to survive alone on this deserted island until May when he can return home and live on his own.

Hector soon discovers that there is something different about Anda but can’t really figure out what. Anda wonders why Hector came to stay on the island for the winter and can see that something is troubling him. They gradually develop a friendship and begin to have strong feelings for each other.

I was very emotionally invested in the story. Anda and Hector were both so torn over their relationship, but they were also drawn to each other in a way they couldn’t deny. Anda also struggled with her very nature and Hector was fighting to get away from his past. This story kept me interested all the way through, even though there were a couple of slow spots in the middle.

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

"We all hold a beast inside. The only difference is what form it takes when freed."

Rain Ryland has never belonged anywhere, He’s used to people judging him for his rough background, his intimidating size, and now, his orphan status. He’s always been on the outside, looking in, and he’s fine with that. Until he moves to New Wurzburg and meets Friederike Burkhart.

Freddie isn’t like normal teen girls, though. And someone wants her dead for it. Freddie warns he’d better stay far away if he wants to stay alive, but Rain’s never been good at running from trouble. For the first time, Rain has something worth fighting for, worth living for. Worth dying for.

This story is a paranormal mystery of sorts. When Rain moves to New Wurzburg, he realizes that something is off about the people there, but he doesn’t know what. I really enjoyed trying to figure out exactly what the people of New Wurzburg are hiding and what they really are (I suspected werewolves from the very beginning, but there seemed to be something more to it than that). Because of this, the first half of the book was a total win for me.

Once I discovered the mysteries of what Freddie and the others truly are, I actually found myself losing interest just a teensy bit, though. I don’t know exactly why—I think I wasn’t emotionally invested enough in Rain as a character or in the romance between him and Freddie (which is pretty central to the book, especially in the middle, where I felt things lag just a little bit). I also wasn’t as interested in the paranormal politics of the town, which play a major part in the overriding mystery of the story.

Freddie wants to protect Rain from the supernatural forces at work in his town, but the more Rain learns, the more he realizes that he is tied to the town in ways that have nothing to do with her and that he can’t escape. The ending is a massive paranormal showdown with plenty of bang for the buck—it definitely delivers on excitement, and things don’t play out in a way you’d automatically expect.

The lag in the middle held me back a teensy bit, but the book is an intriguing paranormal read that will keep you guessing.

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

From beloved award-winning actor, Neil Patrick Harris, comes the magical first book in a new series with plenty of tricks up its sleeve.

When street magician Carter runs away, he never expects to find friends and magic in a sleepy New England town. But like any good trick, things change instantly as greedy B.B. Bosso and his crew of crooked carnies arrive to steal anything and everything they can get their sticky fingers on.

After a fateful encounter with the local purveyor of illusion, Dante Vernon, Carter teams up with five other like-minded kids. Together, using both teamwork and magic, they'll set out to save the town of Mineral Wells from Bosso's villainous clutches. These six Magic Misfits will soon discover adventure, friendship, and their own self-worth in this delightful new series.

This book is really cute—it definitely veers toward the younger MG audience, but that’s great—we need fun books for that age range. The story centers around a young boy who has seen the seedy side of magic—his father used it to con people, and Carter is rather disillusioned because of that. When another group of crooked illusionists comes to town, Carter decides something must be done. He teams up with a diverse group of kids (and a couple of worthy mentors) who help him defeat the bad guys.

One thing to note is that the magic in the book is of the realistic variety, not the fantasy variety. I don’t really have a judgment about that either way, but I was curious going in which it would be.

The narration feels a little odd at times—big words are explained throughout in a way that I found took me out of the story. I also feel like sometimes the book was … trying too hard? I’m not sure how else to describe it. Some elements of the story felt a little forced to me. But the story is fun and it’s sure to be a hit with the target age group. I also loved the magic tricks sprinkled throughout the book.

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via ALA Annual in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

10 Responses to “Bite-Sized Reviews of The November Girl, Haven, and The Magic Misfits”

So glad you enjoyed The November Girl! Reading it was quite the experience for me because I definitely did not expect to be so pleasantly surprised by it! Haven has been on my TBR for quite some time but, I’m debating on whether to actually pick it up or not. Also, the Magic Misfits wakes up the child inside of me every time I sit staring at it so, i’m definitely picking that one up as soon as it comes out!

Great reviews! I’m glad you enjoyed November Girl and felt invested in the story – I have heard good things about this book so far… hm, might have to think about adding it to the TBR 🙂 thank you for the lovely recommendations 🙂

Some interesting reads. Haven looks really cool, I really want to read it ever since I saw a few people get it. The November Girl looks interesting as well, I read your review and when you said not to read the summary I skipped over it so I’m not totally sure what the books about but it sounds pretty good.

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I'm a middle grade writer and a book-loving homeschooling mom of three. My blog is called Feed Your Fiction Addiction for a reason - some days I think I might need an intervention!
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